Hamata

Why Visit?

Hamata is a kitesurf playground with crystal-clear water, a huge waist deep area for beginners and lots of space for the advanced ones to practice new tricks. Unlike other Egyptian spots, it is pretty green and diverse on the water with a scenic mangrove forest upwind of you and three beautiful islands with reefs a little bit further out. The spot boasts some of the best wind statistics for the whole of Egypt, making this is a perfect getaway if you’re coming from Europe for just a short trip. When kiting out to the islands you can see the reefs so clearly underneath you as if you were kiting in an aquarium. Paired with sandy beaches (no sea urchins in the water), a well organised kite station and enough sun beds to chill out in between your sessions, it is all you need for a kite trip full of “eat-kite-sleep-repeat“.

Wind and Weather

Hamata is windy all year round, but if you want to get the windiest times and avoid the summer heat, the best months to go are January until June and October until December. The wind is usually a bit stronger in the morning and drops just a few knots in the afternoon. You can bring your whole kite range, with the most used kites being 9m and 12m but for the lighter riders a 7m is recommended as well. If you want to make full use of those light wind days, bring the big kites as well. From January until March and October until December you’ll need a wetsuit, in the other months a shorty will be enough. For the summer time a Lycra will do the trick.

Getting Around

Getting There

You can find quite a lot direct flights from Europe to Marsa Alam and can easily have a transfer organised from your hotel which will pick you up. Around a 2.5 hour ride from the airport later you’ll arrive at the spot.

Food and Drink

The food is anything a European traveller could wish for with an Arabic twist. Even in the simpler Kite Camp the buffets are surprising you every day with a mixture of local spices and European food. At the spot there is a small restaurant which has all the basics you need from salads to pasta, pizza and burgers, including good espresso for the coffee addicts. Right at the spot, on the left side, there is also a tiny “Beduine-style” café, it’s super sweet and traditional and within seconds you will feel like in a different world. Just go there for a cup of tea to warm you up after the session.

Nightlife

There is no nightlife in Hamata. If you would like to have a drink at night, the best option is to get yourself something at the Duty Free at the airport when you arrive, since alcohol might not be available at the camp or is more expensive.

No Wind?

Hamata is a well-known diving destination and whenever the wind drops you have world class conditions for diving. You can also go snorkelling, go on a quad safari or work on your backgammon skills. The spot is quite popular so it's a great place to meet other kitesurfers and hang out on the sun beds in between sessions, you’ll definitely make some new friends.

Internet

The wifi is unreliable at the Kite Camp, get yourself a local sim card with data package at the airport or in your hotel. The mobile 3G is super fast.

Accommodation

There are a few options for accommodation, the most basic one and closest to the spot is the Kite Village Camp. It’s basically a camp made out of caravans with wood paneling so you have a terrace and some seating options, a table and a seat. The whole atmosphere is very comfy and chilled out, it’s a good place for solo travellers since you meet new people quite easily and the camp feels like a little family. If you want something a little more up market and don’t mind staying a bit further away from the spot book into a hotel, you can also go to the Wadi Lahmy Azur Resort (****) or LahamiBay Beach Resort (*****). Both hotels offer free transfer to the kite spot.

Marsa Alam (RMF) - 2.5 hrs transfer by

Rating 3.3

Waves

Flat Water

Water Temp

Nightlife

Internet

Map

Egypt

Language

Population

Capital

Time Zone

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By Miriam Tymiec

Miriam is a watersports addict and founder of the kitesurf blog Wake Up Stoked. She travels around the world as a location-independent freelance graphic designer, chasing the wind and waves. When she’s not on the water she’s writing about her adventures as a kitesurfing digital nomad on her blog.

Been to Hamata? What did you think?

Hamata has just one spot which is very spacious. Kiting upwind you can get close to the mangrove forest or if you kite a bit further out you can get to three wonderful islands. The waist deep area is huge and makes this spot perfect for beginners. The spot has strong winds and flat to slightly choppy water. The water is always a bit more flat with low tide.

Wind: Cross on from the left

Waves: No

Shorebreak: No

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2013 F-One Bandit 6 9m Kite

Soul Drysuit by Ocean Rodeo

2013 Mystic Wetsuit and Harness

Wainman Joke Kitesurfing Board

David

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Issue 72 Out Now!

Colleen Carroll drops in this month with some of the best female freestyle riders on the planet as they go exploring in Egypt for the upcoming film, The Sum Of 5. Reo Stevens heads off into the Pacific to discover the kitesurfing on offer in Tuamotu and Lukas Pitsch gives us the lowdown on snowkiting. Christian and Karine are on hand with some slick moves to add to your bag of tricks and we’ve also got lots of 2019 gear on test. As ever there is plenty more inside, the magazine is packed with the best photos, stories and videos!